Stay on target

Marvel vs. Capcom games have always been enjoyable because they have characters from both companies duking it out. However, as great as it was to have Ryu and Mega Man facing off against Cyclops and Wolverine, there was no real explanation for why these characters came together. This is something the upcoming Marvel vs Capcom Infinite will address in its story mode. I got to try some of it out for myself while at E3. Though I can’t say I was fully impressed by what I experienced, I’m just glad there’s a story in there at launch (I’m looking at you, Street Fighter V).

Using the power of the Infinity Stones, Ultron and Sigma have combined the Marvel and Capcom universes into one. The two androids have also merged into a singular being: Ultron-Sigma. Marvel and Capcom heroes have banded together in order to overthrow the robotic tyrant, but things aren’t going so well. Thanks to the power of the stones, Ultron-Sigma is virtually unstoppable and his control absolute. This is the sort of wild, comic book-y story this sort of game requires. It may not be elegant, but it works.

The demo begins 88 days after the convergence of worlds. In Asgard X, the heroes conduct another raid on Ultron-Sigma’s fortress. During this section, the game switches between different playable characters. However, there isn’t much of a story here. Each pair of heroes would share quippy one-liners with each other before fighting off waves of Ultron drone robots. Each match lasted less than a minute because the drones were so easy to dispatch.

The best part about these introductory battles is hearing the banter between the Marvel and Capcom characters. Almost three months have passed since their worlds merged, so the heroes are familiar with one another. There are plenty of fan-service moments like Rocket Raccoon using Dante’s Ebony and Ivory guns. It was a tad surreal to see Captain America asking Strider Hiryu about the enemy’s numbers, or Thor making fun of Sir Arthur’s diminutive size. But this is a crossover game, and half the fun is seeing how these wildly different characters interact.

The demo ends with a fight against Ultron-Sigma himself. The robot was a far cry from his pathetic drones, and he took both of my characters out quickly. No matter how hard I tried, I barely dealt any damage to the robotic conqueror. That’s because this battle was designed to be unwinnable. Ultron-Sigma mocks the heroes as they make a reluctant retreat. However, all of this was a clever rouse as the attack merely a distraction. Though the heroes failed to defeat Ultron-Sigma, they did manage to complete their actual mission: to rescue Thanos from the android’s fortress.

Truth be told, I expected more out of the story mode. I felt the “story” was really an excuse to get you from fight to fight. I understand that is ultimately the end-goal in a fighting game, but it could have been presented in a more interesting way. With all that said, this demo was just a small piece of the overall story. I’m hopeful that as the story progresses, it will become more involved and intricate. I’m not expecting anything Oscar-worthy, but something with a bit more meat on it would be nice.

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite will be released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 19. You can pre-order now from Amazon.